Imbolc Witch Hunt Virtual Premiere + Ritual for Peace - This Event is a Spell

Imbolc marks the halfway point between the winter solstice and the spring equinox. It is not the new and glorious world of a budding spring but rather the promise of a new world. Past the point of longest nights, we are still here. We are awakening. Opening and adjusting our eyes. Inspecting our shrinking shadows. Preparing. Scratching at the dirt, collecting and gathering, building a foundation out of what remnants we can find, fueled by our faith that a new dawn is possible. Anticipating the coming melt, we carve paths of least resistance in the snow. We direct the flow.

- Amy Torok, “Imbolc” Missing Witches: Reclaiming True Histories of Feminist Magic. 

We invite you to join the Missing Witches coven for Imbolc. Let’s come together to fuel our faith and direct the flow for peace and liberation in the coming year. 

Thursday, Feb 1
08:30 PM - 10:00 PM EST
RSVP

We'll begin with the story of Witch resistance during the first electoral campaign of convicted criminal Donald Trump, as told by award-winning filmmakers Melissa James and Sarah Sharkey Pearce in their short documentary “Witch Hunt”. 

The Screening

This event will begin with the online premiere of Witch Hunt. (12 min.) 

“In a divided America, modern witches cast spells against political leaders, redefining protest in the process.

"Witch Hunt" explores the intersection of politics, spirituality, and activism, spotlighting creative resistance in our digital age. It's a call to understand diverse expressions of frustration and the strength of community.”

The Conversation

The screening of Witch Hunt will be followed by a conversation with the directors and powerful resistance-magic practitioners featured in the doc, including the creator of the internationally viral Spell to Bind Donald Trump and All Those Who Abet Him, the largest magical working in history.

The Spell

We invite you to bring your tools of magic and craft and lend your energy to the spell of this moment. Bring your binding tools, bring your stitching, bring your fire, bring your ice, bring your rage and grief and gritty optimism. Bring the magic of your traditions. Let’s talk about resistance magic, and let’s practice calling forth a rising tide of care.

During this event - and over the following weeks and months as this episode is broadcast on the Missing Witches podcast and shared - we’ll add our personal visions and personal power to a spell that grows with the undeniable force of changing seasons, of Spring, of all that lives and sprouts and flowers. 

Those who seek to consume endlessly, who use distortion to divide us, who use hate and fear to control us, are tangled in their own webs. Warmongers are tripped up, overwhelmed by our collectively massive and undeniable weavings for peace. The reactionary wealthy who use racism to distract from the inequity they perpetuate are bound and drowned out by the chorus of our covenant of community voices, community action, community craft, community power. 

Blessed Fucking Be. 

Michael M. Hughes is an author, speaker, and magical thinker. He is the creator of the internationally viral Spell to Bind Donald Trump and All Those Who Abet Him, the largest magical working in history. He speaks on magic, pop culture, psychedelics, the paranormal, and teaches popular tarot and magic courses. http://theartofmagicalliving.com

Matthew Venus is an artist, folk magician, and traditional witch based in Salem, Massachusetts whose practice is informed by a deep heart of animism and a dedication to ancestral traditions. Additionally he is a an Aborisha in the Lucumí Orisha tradition and a Tata Ndenge in a lineage of Quimbanda de raíz. Matthew is co-founder of Salem Witch Fest @SalemWitchFest as well as the owner and lead apothecary of Spiritus Arcanum @spiritus_arcanum an online and brick and mortar shop which specializes in handcrafted ritual incenses and oils,talismanic art, and a diversity of occult wares. Over the past two decades Matthew has been sharing teachings on various aspects of magic with students around the world through classes and courses which explore elements and approaches towards traditional witchcraft and folk magical traditions. https://spiritusarcanum.com/en-ca

Nick Dickinson (he/she/they/fae) is Headmistress of Circe Academy of queer feral witchcraft through The Cauldron Black in Salem MA, and a professional witch and witchcraft educator with over 35 years of experience working with clients and students in both public and private settings. Ordained and initiated in a variety of tantric yoga traditions (Mahayana Buddhism), and a teacher of 1,000s yoga teachers and psychics, his classes and workshops are deeply influenced by the intersection of classical yoga theory and modern witchcraft practice. Operating through a multidimensional animist lens with a focus on Greek folklore, Nick’s content welcomes all traditions at all levels and can be approached in a purely secular way. https://linktr.ee/UrbanWizard

Melissa James is an award-winning documentary filmmaker based in Vancouver. Recently, she produced the feature documentary "Satan Wants You," chronicling the untold story of the Satanic Panic, which premiered at SXSW in 2023. Additionally, she co-directed the short documentary "Witch Hunt" with Sarah Sharkey Pearce, exploring the connection between magic and politics. This documentary premiered at Salem Horror Fest and won Best Documentary at the Denver Underground Documentary Film Festival. Prior to this, she directed and produced the cult music documentary "No Fun City," examining the effects of gentrification on local punk and DIY music venues. Melissa strives to bring a personal and authentic perspective to her work; she also practices witchcraft and has spent several years researching the occult through a diverse community of witches across North America and beyond.

Sarah Sharkey Pearce, an award-winning Executive Producer, Writer, and Director based in Toronto, is directing her feature documentary debut, "Resident Orca," with her boutique studio Everyday Films for Crave Originals. Her 2023 short doc, "Witch Hunt," co-directed with Melissa James, premiered at Salem Horror Fest and recently won Best Documentary at the Denver Underground Documentary Film Festival.  Currently, she is show-running a 3-part premium doc series for BBC Arts and Blue Ant Studios, delving into the rise and fall of art fraudster Inigo Philbrick. Previously, she served as an Executive Producer on "Evil by Design: Surviving Nygård" for Blue Ant Studios, a 3-part investigative series that aired on CBC and Starz. She also was the showrunner for "The Devil You Know," a 6-part premium limited documentary series produced by Vice Studios, exploring a murder-suicide that reveals a far-right conspiracy for VICE TV. Additionally, she worked as the Creative Director for Academy Award-nominated Paperny Entertainment. Sarah holds an M.F.A. in Documentary Media from Toronto Metropolitan University (2010) and a B.F.A. in Film and Video from York University (2001).